Shawarma Spiced Roasted Eggplant (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Some like it hot, some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, nine days old

Well these Shawarma Spiced vegetables taste great hot, taste great cold and taste great from the fridge a few days old. Actually the longer they relax and marry their flavors in the smokey sweet spice mix the better they get.

Rummaging through my mother-in-law’s fridge I found tomatoes that had seen better days. Searching deeper into the vegetable drawer I spotted an eggplant that I had bought at the Souk with high hopes for it’s bright purple taut flesh but was now puckered and dull. Out came two leeks that were how shall I put it politely? Oh Yes the word is flaccid.

There was a whole bag of good carrots and I munched them loudly as I cooked and sang along with Debussey’s Clare De Lune. How? You may ask. How do you sing along to Debussey? And I would answer you: with joy and melancholy in equal measure.

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I threw together a quick Shawarma Spice Mix and sprinkled it into the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

I knew that roasting my past-their-prime veggies would coax from them a surge of flavor and sweetness. I was not disappointed. Half an hour in the house was smelling irresistibly of golden leeks and smokey paprika. While they roasted I cooked a batch of brown rice. A scoopful of fragrant rice, a scoopful of meltingly soft Shawarma spiced roasted eggplant, all topped with a dice of avocado.

The next day for lunch I toasted up a pita till it was super crispy and topped it with more of my roasted eggplant.

The last of the eggplant was used up in a sandwich. I am not a sandwich person as a rule but this one really floated my boat. Fresh soft pita, layers of crunchy lettuce, a smear of garlicky hummus and a pile of shawarma roasted eggplant and tomatoes. Dear god it was delicious! So delicious that once I took a bit I stopped photographing and sat down on the patio pavers and finished every bite.

You don’t need to use all the same vegetables that I did. I would say that the eggplant and tomatoes are non-negotiable. Aside from that you can substitute onion for leek and sweet potatoes for the carrot. Potatoes or cauliflower florets would be lovely as well. If you can’t find a shawarma spice mix in the market then buy this one on Amazon make mine.